Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools to ask for $5.4 million in extra funding

In the face of state and federal budget cuts, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools will ask Orange County officials Thursday for $5.4 million in extra funding for the upcoming school year.

The $5.4 million is in addition to the current $68.7 million budget CHCCS has submitted to the Orange County Board of Commissioners.

A large portion of this extra money — $1.9 million — would go toward the completion of Northside Elementary School, which will help address overcrowding in the system’s elementary schools.

SCHOOLSFUNDING

$.0494

special district tax increase

$68.7 million

CHCCS budget request

$1.9 million
needed to open Northside

Assistant Superintendent Todd LoFrese said the extra funding is necessary to ensure Northside is on par with the district’s other elementary schools.

“All of our elementary schools have locally funded positions, and in new schools we have to offer the same ones,” LoFrese said.

He said these positions include teacher assistants, gifted education teachers and custodial support.

Northside Elementary, which will be equipped with “green” features like a rooftop garden and bamboo flooring, will cost about $2.3 million to open in August — $1.9 million of which is still unfunded.

“We need to open this school, that is not optional,” said CHCCS Board of Education member Annetta Streater. “We could certainly be building a school for a lot cheaper, but not one that will meet all of our needs.”

She said the request balances out to an extra $400 per pupil.

The Board of Education has recommended the county raise the special district tax — which goes directly to Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools — to raise the requested funds.